Amalgamator.



F. W. LEWIS.

AMALGLIATOB.

urmoumn rnzn 4m; 10, 1910.

1,034,25 9. I Patented July 30,1912.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

FRANK W. LEWIS, OF MOLEOD, MONTANA.

AMALGAMATOR.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed August 19, 1910. Serial No. 577,991.

I of" amalgamation in order to insure a perfect separation of the metal, and it has particular reference to that class of ore pulverizing amalgamators in which a cylinder mounted for rotation is provided with interiorly disposed rifles, ore grinding or comminuting members such as rocks or boulders being placed within the cylinder to be'elevated by the rotation thereof and to be dropped with crushing force upon the ore contained in or passing through said cylinder.

The principal object of the present invention is to improve the construction of the rifles within the cylinder, said rifles being composed of detachable rings of peculiar construction which may be conveniently placed within the cylinder in such a manner as to be readily removed for'replacement or renewal whendesired.

A further object of the invention is to specifically improve the construction of the rifles in such a manner as to strengthen and reinforce the same to resist the impact of the grinding or crushing members, and also to provide said rifles with flat anvil faces between which and the comminuting members the particles of ore passing over said faces will be crushed and ground with requisite degree of fineness.

With'these and other ends in view which ,will readily appear as the nature of the invention is better understood, the same consists in the improved construction and novel arrangement and combination of parts which will be hereinafter fully described and particularly pointed out in the claim.

In. the accompanying drawing has been illustrated a simple and preferred form of the invention, it being, however, understood that no limitation is necessarily made to the precise structural details therein exhibited, but that changes, alterations and modifications within the scope of the claim may be resorted to when desired.

In the drawing, Figure ,1 is a longitudinal sectional view of an amalgamator c011- structed in accordance with the invention. Fig. 2 is a transverse sectional View taken on the line 2-2 in Fig. 1.

Corresponding parts in both figures of the drawing are denoted by like characters of reference.

The shell or casing of the improved amalgamator consists of a cylindrical tube 1 made preferably of steel and of any suitable dimensions, say about six feet' in length by two feet in'diameter. The tube is providedat its receiving and discharge ends with heads 2, 3 suitably connected therewith and provided respectively with an inlet 4: and an outlet 5, said inlet and outlet being surrounded by guard flanges 6, 7. The outlet is also provided with a screen or strainer 8. The casing contains a plurality of rifles formed by rings C, each of which consists of an integral casting, said rings or castings being of an exterior diameter equal to the interior diameter of the cylindrical casing wherein said rings or castings are loosely fitted so that they may be readilyinserted. or removed, as occasion may require. These rings or castings may be described as being of V-shaped cross section, each comprising an interior annular rim or head 9 having a flat surface constituting an anvil face 9 which is parallel to and concentric with the axis of the casing, and divergent flanges 1010 which extend outwardly from the rim or head and which are slightly curved, it being noted that the rim or head portion of each ring or casting is of a thickness materially exceeding that of the flanges 10, thus insuring adurable and wear-reslsting construction. The outer edges of the flanges 10 are formed with flatfaces '10 which lie at right angles to the axis of the cylindrical Patented July 30, 1912.

casing for the convenient insertion between desired number of rings or castings may be employed, said castings being retained with in the shell or casing by means of the heads when the latter are placed in position. By removing the head at either end of the easing, the contents of thecasing may be removed.

The casing is supported for rotation upon a suitable frame structure 13, and it rests upon anti-friction rollers 14: which are mounted in said frame structure in any suitable and convenientmanner. The shell or casing is also, provided with a driving Wheel 15'which may be driven by means of a belt from any suitable source of power, or said driving wheel may be in the nature of a gear wheel/ adapted to mesh with a pinion upon a suitably driven shaft. A feed chute 16 is directed into the feed opening at in the head 2 of the casing.

In the operation of this device quick sil ver or prepared amalgam is placed in the rifiies, together with a quantity of flint boulders which have been found effective in assisting the reduction of the ore. The

pulp is fed over the chute 16, and the casing upon as the cylindrical casing is rotated to crush and reduce the particles of ore passing over said rims. The pulp passes through the cylindrical casing from groove to groove and is eventually permitted to escape through the discharge aperture, the screen of which will prevent the triturating boulders from passing.

The invention as will be seen from the foregoing is very simple in construction, and it has been found to be very effective for the purposes for which it is provided.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed as new, is

In an amalgamator, the combination with a cylindrical shell'or casing supported for rotation and provided with heads having, respectively, an inlet and an outlet, of a plurality of rifiie-forming rings fitted in said casing between the heads thereof, each ring consisting of a single casting of V- shaped cross sect-ion having an inner relatively thick rim or head having a flat face disposed in parallel relation to the axis of the cylindrical casing, and relatively thin outwardlydiverging flanges slightly curved and having terminal flat faces disposed in planes at right angles to the axis of the cylindrical casing, and compressible gaskets interposed bet-ween the fiat meeting faces of the flanges of the individual rings or v castings.

' In testimony whereof I aflix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

FRANK W. LEWIS.

. Witnesses:

JAooB WAGNER, JAMES ANDERSON. 

